stillnoturbo

I know people make their own tube guitar amps from like old PA systems or using tube radios. I can imagine the PA amp's are alot easier since you don't have to deal with the tuner part that would be in a radio. I'm not looking for a big massive OMFG amp like from the First Back to the Future but something small. Hell my tube Vox is only like 12 watts and that is big. My wife and I were just window shopping at the local antique stores and one place had old 40-70's tube radios that worked for like 20-30 bucks. I know I'd have to do some wiring to get like Tone, Treble or Bass adjustment out of it but just a volume **** is cool for me right now. Like just eliminating the entire radio tuner and using the amp but where would I incorporate a 1/4 jack for a guitar signal? I know alot of the old radios have the schematics right on them so that's a starting point. ANy suggestions or am I barking up the wrong tree here on HMT? I got through electronic principles in the AF but dropped out after that. lol. Plus we never touched on vacuum tubes since it was the USAF and not the AF for the taliban. :P

jinxy

ive built tube amps before, its not to hard if you're building something simple just look up schematics for little 15 watt class A amps or 25-50 watt class ab with running 12ax7's for the preamp and el34 for the power tubes something like a matchless. little 15 watt class a amps usually sound the best for low volume playing, although 15 watts class A is a hell of a lot louder than you'd think it is. Really depends on what sound you want.

DrSeuss

http://www.cambridgeaudio.com/default.php

Those are the people i work for.

So i know a little about audio electronics.

What your asking is, can you convert an old transistor radio into purely an amplifier. In which case, the answer is almost certainly yes. You just need to isolate the tuning circuitry from the pre-amp stage and wire your jack into the pre-amp.

Cheap guitar amps aren't much money these days and unless your desperate for that 'rich in distortion' sound you only get from a valve amp, i'd not bother.

jinxy

solid state preamp plus tube power = sexxx unless you're overdriving the hell out of your preamp tubes its a hard sound to get. amps like the first gen peavey ultra 120 = pure radness.

stillnoturbo

Yeah I'm not looking for something big at all. Hell even small is bigger then what I'm looking for. lol. The antique store I saw them at is like just 5 minutes away and for how much they cost if it doesn't sound that great then I'm not out that much. Just something I can use in the living room without upsetting the wife or kid too much before they tell me I suck and to stop playing. :1

stillnoturbo

So say I pick up some one of those radios. What do you suggest for a speaker since the speaker on those have fallen apart or on the verge to once I convert it over and the first good Pete Townsend windmill like strum.
Maybe something like a 8" Jensen. It's only $34 sill I still have like only 60 bucks in the thing.



Genuine Jensen quality construction for great vintage vibe.

The Jensen 'C' Series provides pristine vintage tone coupled with the cost and weight advantages of ceramic magnets. Originally developed in the 1960s to meet the ever increasing demands of the emerging pop music industry, the 'C' Series has remained influential ever since. 4 or 8 ohms.

Jensen C8R 25W 8" Replacement Speaker Features:

Ceramic magnet
Vintage vibe
Genuine Jensen quality construction

jinxy

12 inch celestion vintage 30, if you build it decent.

stillnoturbo

Like this
http://cgi.ebay.com/ENGLAND-MADE-CEL...QQcmdZViewItem
Then use like what to build the box? I was thinking HMT style with this cause try to keep it relatively cheap. Maybe a old suitcase cause they build those pretty beefy and looked cool also. Something like this

stillnoturbo

Well I ran down to the antique store and got me a radio. Only one that sounded good but also the most expensive one also. 42 bucks out of my birthday money. It does have a rca plug in the back though. Hmmm Pics in a few.

fork

celestion vintage 30 yes, also, you can't just rig the 1/4" into the rca, I'm guessing it will sound like ----.
and how bout a little google
http://www.geofex.com/tubeampfaq/taffram.htm
http://ampage.org/htac/

and I have about 150 tubes that I got from an abandonned house, but thats an other story